30 Kisses
by bloodstain5
Summary: This is a collection of 30 themes done for the pairing SyaoranSakura, please read and review each chapter, as each chapter is a new sdtory thank you! Chapter 8 is an AU FYI :P
1. Look Over Here

Look Over Here

Syaoran sat in tormenting silence as he tended to the flames of the camp fire he and Kurogane had started. Fai, Mokona and Sakura had gone off somewhere in the mysterious wood to find food that would cook well over the flames. They'd been gone almost an hour now and Syaoran was trying to ignore the annoying voice in the back of his mind telling him something bad had happened and he should be out looking for them.

Kurogane sat staring at Syaoran through the fire. He was sitting on the other side, fiddling with a knife he'd purchased in the previous world they'd been to. He'd been staring at the Kid for the past ten minutes and had yet to be noticed, the biggest clue that the batteries in Syaoran's brain were working full power over a brood worthy topic. Kurogane, having gotten fed up with the depressing silence that literally emanated from the boy in front of him, threw his knife into the dirt tip first. Syaoran blinked, having been ripped out of his reverie, and stared at Kurogane.

Syaoran was about to ask the older man across from him what the matter was when a rustling erupted from behind him, and he turned around to see the three missing members of their group emerge, their clothing and fur caked with dried mud and dirt, with the biggest smiles Syaoran had ever had the pleasure of witnessing in a long time. Sakura ran over and sat next to Syaoran, her arms carrying handfuls of mushrooms and berries. Fai and Mokona made their way over to Kurogane holding a small hare.

"Look, Kuro-chin, we have something other than fruit tonight, aren't you just so happy you could cry?" Fai teased as he sat next to Kurogane, who had a look of both amusement and fury mixed together on his face.

"Shut up, Fai," was all he could think of to say.

"If you want to cry, my shoulder's always available." Fai smiled his famous smile and Kurogane was horrified to hear his voice reverberate from behind him.

"I couldn't even _begin_ to think of crying on any other shoulder than yours, Fai-chan!" his voice sounded in dramatic happiness from behind him.

Syaoran and Sakura both laughed as they watched Kurogane reach behind him and grab poor Mokona by the ears and proceed to swing it around in circles screaming unintelligible things, even to Mokona.

Syaoran dared to steal a glance at the girl sitting next to him and smiled. It was always a pleasure for him to hear her laugh, it was such a rare occurrence as their search for her memories spanned on.

She turned to him after noticing his gaze and smiled.

"Syaoran-kun! Look at all the mushrooms and berries I picked!" Her smile was beaming and Syaoran couldn't help but smile back because of it.

"You certainly have a good haul there, and they all look pretty ripe."

Sakura's smile grew and she looked down proudly at her 'haul'.

"Mokona helped pick too!" the little rabbit like thing yelled from the air as Kurogane was swinging it around, having yet to cease the unintelligible screaming.

Sakura laughed. "That's right! Mokona helped too!"

Her eyes sparkled as her laughter intensified and she dumped the armful of mushrooms and berries next to the fire. Fai got up and broke off a branch from a tree and handed it to Kurogane, who had finally set poor Mokona down and was attempting to act civilized once more.

"Well, Kuro-pin, I'd say in order to eat the hare we need to cook it first, wouldn't you?" His smile, as always, revealed nothing of what went on behind his eyes. Kurogane mumbled something under his breath and snatched the stick from Fai and proceeded to skewer the hare on it and hold it over the fire.

Sakura grimaced and looked at the pile of mushrooms and berries on the ground to avoid looking at the dead animal. Syaoran kept his gaze on her, however, not even noticing the hoots and hollers from Fai and Mokona about how 'manly' Kurogane was.

The way her eyes had sparkled just then had tugged on a tender string in Syaoran's heart, and he was forced to remember a time, long ago it seemed, when she had looked at him with those same sparkling eyes. Back then there wasn't a moment he was with her that she wasn't laughing and looking only at him. He smiled sadly at the memories that he knew would never occur again in his life time with the girl he loved. It pained him to see her look upon another with those happily sparkling eyes that were now so very rare, seeing as nowadays their owner was usually either sleeping or much less joyous than she had been in the past.

He looked down bitterly at his growing jealousy of Mokona, who had been the lucky creature to receive Sakura's gaze this time, knowing how childish it was to feel such emotions. Sakura wasn't falling in love with the little creature, not by a long shot, but her gaze was not directed at Syaoran, and that was why Syaoran was jealous. 'Look over here,' he thought as Sakura laughed again at Mokona and Fai's antics. She didn't turn her gaze from Fai and Mokona. 'There was a time when you only looked at me, why won't you now?' But she of course did not hear his mental thoughts and paid him no mind.

Syaoran gave up the thoughts and simply watched Sakura, Fai, Mokona and Kurogane have a good time. They ate, enveloped in conversation, Syaoran being the only one not talking. The hare didn't last long, but it was enough to fill everyone's stomach. Fai and Mokona were enjoying yet another game of 'Torment Kuro-chan' when Sakura let out a yawn. It wasn't big but it was large enough for Syaoran to notice. He gently touched her arm with his gloved hand, causing her to avert her gaze from the game to Syaoran. She smiled politely at him.

"You should get to bed, you need your rest more than us," he suggested quietly, smiling kindly back at her.

She sighed in disappointment but nodded her agreement. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She got up and walked over to Fai and Mokona. She planted a kiss on Mokona's forehead and Fai's cheek, then on Kurogane's cheek as well.

"Goodnight everyone!" she said.

"Goodnight, Sakura-chan!"

"Night night, Sakura!"

"Nnh."

She giggled and turned to her bedroll which was laid out neatly next to the fire, but stopped and turned to Syaoran.

"Goodnight Syaoran-kun," she said quietly and leaned up to kiss him softly on the cheek, catching the corner of his mouth.

He squeezed his eyes shut and patted her on the back. "Goodnight, Sakura."

She pulled away and climbed under the covers of her bedroll, falling asleep without a second glance in his direction.

"Look over here…" he murmured to her sleeping form. "Look over here…"


	2. Our Distance and That Person

Our Distance and That Person

Touya looked out the extravagant castle balcony with a look of total oblivion. The sky was so clear, how could one _not_ look at it? He took a deep sigh as a cold but refreshing breeze kissed his tan cheeks and then stepped back from the balcony and back into his room. _Sakura used to look up at the sky all the time… _Thoughts of his dear little sister slowly pried their way into his mind. The last time he'd seen Sakura, she was unconscious in Syaoran's arms. Yukito hadn't explained the entire situation, but enough for him to gather what had happened.

As children, Touya had always been the one keeping Sakura from harm and making sure she was always happy. He'd always been close to her, watching over her as a good older brother should. He had never dreamed his dear little Sakura would ever be this far from his reach. He didn't even know if she was alive or not. Of course, he had noticed long before that their distance with each other had been slowly growing. Ever since… _Syaoran…_

He was the one protecting Sakura now, keeping her from harm. Touya had known it would be that way sooner or later once he saw Sakura's feelings for him begin to develop. He'd hated Syaoran for that, for stealing his little sister away from him. Deep down he'd known that one day she'd be far from his reach, his sight, maybe even his thoughts, but he'd never thought that day would come so soon…

"Dinner is almost ready your Majesty," a maid said, opening the door to his bed chambers to peak in.

"I'll be down momentarily," he said and waved her off.

She left, closing the door behind her, and Touya found himself staring at the wooden object with yet another look of total oblivion. Thoughts of Sakura had been prying their way into his thoughts less and less these days, until it was to the point that he only thought of her once or twice a week. Had she really been away that long? How much longer would it be until her return? Touya pushed back the one question that had been digging its dirty nails into his thoughts the most. _Would she return….? _

"Shut up Touya! Don't think such things!" he berated himself bitterly and fell into the chair at his desk in an exhausted fashion. _Do you think of me sometimes, Sakura? Or are all your thoughts for _himHe glared at the ceiling, ashamed for letting himself think such a bitter thought towards his sister and the man she loved. What bothered him most was as the distance between him and his sister grew, her distance with the brat shrunk ever faster by the day. He didn't want that damn brat to have his sister! He didn't want anyone to have her; there wasn't a man alive who deserved her in his eyes. _So why…? Why does she love him! _

It was at that time that another voice whispered to him. _Because he cares for her more than anyone else… _

He let a bitter chuckle escape his throat. He had nothing to worry about; whether or not his distance with Sakura was growing or shrinking was irrelevant, he decided. As long as she was alive and happy, that was all that mattered to him.

The maid rapped on the door again, summoning him to dinner, which he gladly accepted. Anything was better than thinking of Sakura now…


	3. Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue

"Look at this!" Kurogane exclaimed angrily, looking around and stomping his feet. "There isn't anyone here! No one! It's totally deserted!"

The group, having just traveled from yet another world, found themselves standing amidst a meadow of endless green grass. No flowers or trees. Just grass. That, and the bluest sky above them.

"Mokona, do you sense one of Sakura's feathers?" Fai asked calmly, promptly ignoring Kurogane's ranting.

Mokona closed its eyes and searched the land. "Nope, I don't think this world has anything in it," the creature said, looking around.

Syaoran looked at Mokona in disappointment. They'd been having more trouble than usual locating Sakura's feathers. They'd found one in the last world, but they hadn't found any in the three worlds before that.

Syaoran glanced over at Sakura, expecting her to have the same disappointed look upon her face as well, but blinked in mild surprise. She didn't look disappointed or sad, not even annoyed. She was looking up into the sky, as if in a trance. She had a look of peace, as if she'd been enlightened. All she did was look up into the blue sky.

Fai eyed Syaoran starring at Sakura and laughed quietly to himself.

"Mokona, Kurogane and I will try and find the people who inhabit this world, watch Sakura for us, okay Syaoran?"

Syaoran looked over at Fai and nodded slightly, then watched as the three of them left in search for life. He turned back to Sakura.

"…What are you doing?" He asked cautiously.

She didn't turn to him "I'm looking at the sky," was her only answer.

Syaoran sighed and scratched his head. "I can see that, why?" He walked over to her and looked up into it as well.

"It's so blue…yet there is no sun…"

Syaoran blinked and looked around, she was right, there wasn't a sun in sight, yet it was so bright and blue.

"I've never seen a sky so blue…" She mumbled, as if put under a spell. She lay down on the grass and starred up into the sky once more.

Syaoran sat next to her, looking into it as well but saying nothing.

"All the other world's skies seem to be affected by the moods of their people…but this sky….this sky isn't affected in such ways…"

Syaoran looked down at her "What do you mean?"

"If people cried, the sky cried, if people were angry, the sky was angry, it was only when people were happy that the sky was so very blue in all the other worlds, but this sky isn't affected in such ways…Kurogane-san is angry yet the sky does not boom, Mokona is disappointed yet the sky dies not cloud over…" she looked up at him "Syaoran-kun is sad yet the sky does not weep…"

He looked back up at the sky "Yeah, I suppose you're right…"

She looked back up at the sky as well "I know I am…this world is so happy, its sky is so blue…so blue…" her eye lids fluttered over her eyes and she was asleep in an instant. Syaoran stared down at her for a moment, then leaned down and brushed his lips against her own.

"I am only sad when you are sad, Sakura, forgive me for making you worry…"


	4. Red

Red

Red was not a color Sakura saw often. Oh sure, she saw it on clothing and signs, woven into certain designs on certain things. However, she never really paid attention to these things, so she really didn't _see_ it often. So when Kurogane sliced a man who had attacked Sakura from behind, screaming 'It's my feather, she can't have it!' Sakura found herself thoroughly surprised and staring at the color red.

It was all over the place, on the man lying motionless on the floor, on Kurogane….on her. It was on her. Another person's blood. The color red. It was all over, and smelt of a scent she wasn't familiar with. It was raining now, and though it clouded the vision of everyone around her, Sakura could clearly see the horrified look on the dead man's face before her. The red flowing out of his mouth, making a puddle around his head.

She gave no notice to the rain kissing her cold, pale skin; she couldn't even feel it. The red seeped into the mud and her clothes, and she realized, in an abundant amount of horror, his last words. 'It's my feather, she can't have it!' She can't have it….

Sakura found herself falling to her knees in the red covered mud, screaming at the top of her lungs. She clutched her head in horror and screamed, words mixing in. 'It's my fault, it's all my fault!'

She felt arms encircle her small frame and bring her close, and she vaguely heard Syaoran's soothing mellow voice whisper, 'It's okay, it wasn't your fault' but she paid it no mind. She was too busy seeing red. How could she not see it? It was all over. In the mud, on Kurogane, on her, and all over the man she'd killed….


	5. The Space Between Dream and Reality

The Space Between Dream and Reality

Syaoran and Sakura have the same dreams. They are always memories of the past. The same past. The past they shared. Things like kisses on the cheek under pink trees, or swimming in the nearby lake after the rare occasions of rain. In the past, Syaoran's current dreams had been the reality, and Sakura's dreams, which had been filled with flowers and dancing and happiness, though very wonderful, had always been just dreams. Now, Sakura's dreams were of an old reality, the things she saw in her still hazy memories. A reality in which Syaoran did not exist.

As much as Syaoran wished and prayed and cried, as much as he wanted to believe that his dreams, his memories were still the real reality, he knew deep down that his dreams were now only dreams. He would never be a part of Sakura's reality again. It made him cry, many times; it made him wish to disappear, many times, but always he'd pull himself out of it for her, whether she saw him or not.

He often wondered if the space between dream and reality was really as far as everyone said it was. Dreams are dreams, they aren't real, focus on the reality. That's what adults had always told him, but now he saw the space between the two as much, much closer than everyone claimed. If they could so easily switch places, were they really all that far apart? All that different? Were dreams really as hard to reach as reality is to hide from? He no longer knew.

His reality had Sakura in it, and Sakura's reality did not have Syaoran in it. What did Fai's reality have? Or Kurogane's? Did they ever wonder if their love could last forever?

_Our love would last until the end of eternity. _He told himself this often, but now, he couldn't tell what realm it existed in. He didn't want to know now. His Sakura was in it, that was all that mattered.

In the past, his dreams had been reality, but now, his reality was merely a dream.


	6. If Only I Could Make You Mine

If Only I Could Make You Mine

The latest world was one very busy and packed with people. Tall buildings towered over the thousands of millions of people walking around the streets and sidewalks daily. It was truly amazing to a girl like Sakura, who couldn't recall ever being in such an overpopulated city such as this world.

"Gah-- HEY! Watch where you're going, jerk!" she heard Kurogane scream at a nameless person who had bumped him in the shoulder.

"Hehe, calm down, Kuro-chin, I doubt they meant it," Fai soothed, patting his partner on the shoulder.

Kurogane glared at Fai before lazily slinging his arm over the slender man's shoulder. "I told you not to call me that, Fai."

Sakura smiled at the cute exchange the couple had made, then went back to gazing in utter amazement at the crowded city. It one of the most amazing things she'd ever seen, the only thing she could think of that could match this was—

_Syaoran…_

She glanced shyly back at the quiet man walking behind Fai and Kurogane, Mokona perched on his ever messy matt of brown hair. The white, rabbit looking creature was chattering away while Syaoran politely listened, giving a chuckle every now and then. Sakura stared awhile at him until she felt a soft body run into her back. She jumped and looked behind her to find Fai smiling down at her. "What are you staring at, Sakura-chan? It must be something wonderful for it to stop you in your tracks," he winked at her, causing her to blush in total embarrassment.

"N-nothing, Fai-san! Nothing at all…"

He was looking at her now, ignoring Mokona. "Is something the matter, Sakura?"

She turned around hastily, squeezing her eyes shut. "Nothing, Syaoran-kun…"

_He'll never see me… not like I see him…_

The thought tore at her heartstrings painfully, but she gulped down the knot forming in her throat and continued forward.

The group walked on a little further before deciding to sleep until continuing the search for Sakura's feathers tomorrow. They found a small motel type place on the edge of the commotion and paid for a room with what little money they had.

"The room has two beds, so Kuro-chin and I will take a bed and you two may share the other if you like," Fai offered kindly to Sakura and Syaoran as they headed up to their room.

Both Sakura and Syaoran turned a bright red, but Syaoran was the first to speak.

"I think I'll just sleep on the floor, Sakura can take the bed for herself." He gave her a wane, distant smile and turned his back on her to walk into the room.

Sakura, fairly speechless by how easily he had brushed her off, looked down at her feet, heartbroken.

_Oh Syaoran…_

She sat down on her bed she would be sharing alone and watched as Syaoran spread his bedroll out near the foot of both beds. She watched as the distant sun of this world slowly began to set behind the apparent mountains. Did the people of this world call them such? It didn't matter.

She saw him from the corner of her eye staring at her, but when she turned his way, he had his back to her, organizing his things. It must've been her imagination.

Closing her eyes, she imagined Syaoran drawing her into the warm embrace that he offered her so rarely. What was she doing to drive him away? What was she doing wrong?

_If only I could make you mine…._

She often repeated that single phrase to herself at night, when she felt alone and thought of Syaoran.

_If only I could make you mine, I'd show wonders you'd never even dream of seeing…_

She changed into her night clothes with the cover of the window curtains and climbed into bed; it was getting late.

_If only I could make you mine, I'd make you feel emotions you never thought you had…_

She stared at him for another moment, then got out of bed once more and walked over to Syaoran, who was preparing to climb into his bedroll. "Good night, Syaoran-kun." He looked up and smiled at her, "Good night, Sakura."

She hesitated at first, but built up her courage and bent down and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. She felt him tense and pulled away quickly. "S-sorry…" she turned around quickly and climbed back into bed, back facing Syaoran. She didn't have the heart to face him right then…

Would she ever have the heart again?

_If only I could make you mine, I'd love you like no other has before…_

Silent tears slipped from her eyes, and she pretended not to hear Fai and Kurogane emerge from the bathroom, bathed and happy. She couldn't bear to hear and see them so content, while she ached inside with the love she felt for a man that didn't see her. That never saw her. That never _would _see her…

_If only I could make you mine…_

_If only…_

_If only…_


	7. 10

#10

_The cherry blossoms are always pretty this time of year_, noted Syaoran as he gazed lazily up at the blossoming pink flowers swaying in the breeze of the afternoon wind. A memory floated up from the depths of his clouded mind of the first time he'd seen a cherry blossom, and why he loved them so….

"Syaoran! I want to show something!" a ten-year-old little Sakura called happily, tugging on little Syaoran's arms as she drug him up a large hill.

"Your Highness--"

"_Sakura_!"

Little Syaoran blushed and looked at the ground passing by. "S-Sakura… shouldn't we stay close to the castle, I don't want your brother worrying about--"

"They'll be fine! Just come with me, I _have_ to show you this!"

Syaoran sighed and gave in, knowing once the girl set her heart to something, she was going to do it, whether it be through hell or high water.

The sun was beginning to set, making the sky a purplish pink tint. It was beautiful, and there was just enough light left to see across the blazing dessert.

"Your—Sakura, shouldn't we head back now?"

She turned around and glared at him. "Not yet, we're almost there, don't worry." She flashed him a toothy smile and continued walking.

And she was right. They only walked a few more minutes until Sakura halted and turned around to him. "Okay! We're here!"

Behind Sakura stood a fairly tall tree blossoming pink flowers. It looked to Syaoran like just an ordinary tree, save the color of the flowers, and he was about to question his princess when a sudden wind caught them in its path. The tree's boughs swayed in the wind, releasing many pink petals. They danced around them, as if performing a ceremonial dance, twisting and leaping and spinning on the wind.

Syaoran found himself staring in awe at the performance, unable to find words.

"They're called cherry blossoms," he heard his Sakura say, and turned to her. "It's what my name means. 'Sakura Blossoms' is another name for the tree, because Sakura means cherry blossom." Her back had been turned to him as she said this, and turned around, a soft, sweet smile playing on her lips. "Happy 10th birthday, Syaoran…"

Syaoran kept his eyes closed a moment longer, savoring the precious memory for as long as time would allow. Finally he opened his eyes, and noted that the wind had stilled, leaving the sakura petals lying helplessly on the ground.

He stared at them a moment, then left. He wasn't sad for some reason, because, after all, nothing lasts forever, right? Everything has to end sometime…


	8. The Road Home

I'm less happy witht he way this one turned out, but eh, I may just be paranoid and delusional ;; Anyway! R&R please! And be honest :P Thankies! -- Jangalain

The Road Home

The blazing, hot sun was set high in the sky as weary feet trudged across the gravel strewn road. Syaoran put a hand to his brow, half to block out the brightness of the sun, half to wipe the sweat from his face. The road seemed to extend endlessly before him, and he wondered if he'd ever get home. If he'd ever see his beloved Sakura again.

The wind tore threw the pathway towards him and slammed into his wary, sweat laden face, cooling him immensely. He sighed in relief and pleasure and tore off his cloak, throwing it up into the air. He spread his arms to the wind and closed his eyes. The wind tore threw his damp clothing, drying them and creating the elusion that he was falling through the sky. If he fell just right, he'd soon see that little cottage in the country where his beloved spent her days.

He would land in their field, scoop up all the flowers growing leisurely upon it, and run head long towards the home. She'd be standing on the porch, having already known, somehow that he would be home. He would scoop her up into his arms and kiss her full on the lips, and she'd drape her arms around his neck and after breaking the kiss, rest her head on his chest and whisper "Welcome home," and he would reply softly with a simple "Thanks," and they would hold each other for the rest of the day.

But the wind doesn't last forever, like many other things, and he opened his eyes once more to see the sweat slowly climbing its way back onto his flushed, dark skin. He sighed and ran a hand through his damp, auburn hair, recalling the pleasant day dream. He opened his eyes once more to the road ahead with more hope this time. He would make it home, he was sure of it.

"After all, this is the road home…"


	9. Candy

Candy

Sakura loved candy. Its smooth surface, the way it felt when she ran her tongue along its sides, its taste, the way it looked, everything. She loved candy. She loved Syaoran. She, just for her own fun, liked comparing Syaoran to candy, just to see if she could find anything bad about either of them.

Candy is sweet. Syaoran is sweet.

Candy tastes good. Syaoran definitely tastes good.

Candy felt smooth. Syaoran's skin was the smoothest she'd ever felt.

Candy rotted your teeth out. Syaoran didn't rot your teeth out, thankfully.

She'd only been able to find one bad thing about candy, but never about Syaoran. She'd stare at him for hours sometimes. When he would notice, which he rarely did, he'd smile at her and kindly ask what she was doing. She would smile back and reply with a simple "Just studying you." He would laugh and pull her close and ask what she'd found out, and she would tell him "nothing", that he was a total mystery to her, but that she still loved him anyway and that would never change.

She loved these moments with Syaoran, but was still bothered by the fact that she couldn't find anything negative about him. Everyone had their negative points, but, if Syaoran did, he did a damn good job of hiding them. Even candy had its negative points. It bothered her that she couldn't find the negative points of Syaoran, because she knew they were there, if he didn't have them then he wasn't a human being. It also bothered her that Syaoran didn't share them with her, his problems and concerns and what not. They'd only been together a month or so, and before that it had taken a near 2 weeks for them to become comfortable with their new relationship, but Sakura had told him numerous times to come and talk to her if he was feeling down or depressed. With a smile he had agreed, but he had yet to do so. Sakura noted this with a pout and promised herself she'd bug him about it when she next got the chance.

She wanted to know everything about him; that's what it meant to be in love, apparently.

"Syaoran," she asked one morning as Syaoran came back with Kurogane and Fai from exploring the newest world. "Tell me one bad thing about yourself."

Syaoran blinked at her and Fai laughed as he closed the door to the small room they were temporarily staying in.

"…What?"

Sakura giggled. "Tell one negative thing about you."

Syaoran shifted uneasily under the pressure of her gaze. "…Why?"

"Because I can't find one by myself. I just want to assure myself that you're human."

"Come now, Syaoran-kun, I'm fairly interested in hearing this as well," Fai laughed, half-joking.

"I don't want you to know my negative sides, Sakura," Syaoran replied quietly, looking down at his feet.

Sakura got up off the bed she was laying on and walked over to Syaoran, wrapped her delicate arms around his waist, and rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat. "Even candy rots your teeth out, come on, just tell me."

Syaoran brought Sakura into the bathroom and closed the door to get away from the prying eyes and ears of Fai and Kurogane, then brought her close and held her tightly to his chest. "It took me so long to get you… I don't want to lose you now."

"What makes you think you'll lose me?"

"You won't like my negative sides…"

"I want to know all of you Syaoran…I want to love all of you…"

Syaoran leaned down and pressed his lips against her own. _He's trembling…_

"Can you wait a little longer….for me?" He rested his chin on top of her head. "Please?"

Sakura sighed in disappointment. "I suppose… you'll tell me one day, wont you?"

He nodded and kissed her hair. "I promise."

"Then I promise to be patient and wait." She looked up at him and smiled.

He smiled back. "Thank you…"


	10. Fence

Author's Note: (Do Not Post in LJ!) I've decided to dedicate this latest chapter to Aikou-chan! You're reviews have been wonderful ;; I really, really hope you keep reading and reviewing! As a note, this does not mean I've totally disregarded everyone else who reads this story, in reality, I love you all

Fence

Syaoran was fairly appalled with himself at how long it had taken him to notice it. The huge, lumbering, fence that had been erected between Sakura and himself. Before, there had been nothing between them but friendship and love, well, for him anyway. Now there wasn't any of that, just this huge, steel wall blocking him from his precious Sakura. He could see her just fine, oh yes, but could he have her? That was another matter entirely.

As he sat next to her, he felt her body heat on his skin as their arms touched momentarily, and the fact that he couldn't pull her into a warm embrace, or kiss her fair cheeks, or hold her hand was shear agony. He couldn't even talk to her anymore, not like he used to. And he never would, never again. _That God-damned Time Witch! _His eyes grew and he lowered his head in shame; it wasn't fair of him to blame others.

He stared into the fire in the middle of the group's little circle and sighed. It was going to be a long, painful journey…

"Syaoran-kun?"

Blinking, he looked to his right. Sakura was looking, with worried eyes, straight at him.

"Syaoran-kun, are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

He scanned the circle and realized that it wasn't just Sakura, everyone was looking at him. He suppressed a blush and turned back to Sakura.

"I'm fine, don't worry." He smiled, masking the pain he felt in the lie he had just muttered.

She smiled and leaned up and kissed his forehead. "You looked far away, sad almost, you can talk to me if you feel sad, Syaoran-kun." Her gaze was so full and warm, it drew him in, but he couldn't follow.

_Things won't ever be like that again…_

"Thank you, Sakura-chan, that means a lot, but I think I'm going to go to bed now, I'm pretty tired." He got up and climbed into his bed-roll, back turned to them all, and fell into a restless sleep, haunted by the memories of better times that would never be reached again.


	11. The Sound of Waves

The Sound of Waves

"Look, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura exclaimed in obvious amazement at the endless blue that lay in front of them.

Syaoran smiled to himself and put a hand on her slender shoulder. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing…"

The latest world they were in happened to be an island surrounded by the bluest water one could ever pray to lay eyes upon. Sakura's gaze skimmed across the water's surface and then around the beach they stood upon. She turned to Syaoran and smiled, showing all her teeth.

"It's so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it!" She stopped rather abruptly and looked down, letting the smile fade from her face. "Not that I remember, that is."

Syaoran looked away. "We'll recover all your memories…I promise…"

She turned to him and smiled again, but it had lost much of its joy. "…The waves sound pretty…"

Syaoran closed his eyes and listened to the sighing of the waves as they ventured onto the shore and off again. Opening his eyes, he found Sakura sitting on the ground next to him. "Sit with me, Syaoran-kun…"

He looked at her a moment, not sure how to react to the request, but after a moment sat down next to her, rather closely, and listened to the waves swell onto the shore.

"It's so pretty…so soothing…" she murmured again and leaned against his side.

He tensed, but soon relaxed and put an arm loosely around her waist. "Yeah…it really is…"

They both sat in silence, listening to the waves, letting the salty ocean wind kiss their pale faces.


	12. Ano sa

#5 Ano Sa…

Syaoran couldn't help but blush. How could he not? The one girl he'd loved had just kissed him. Well, not just, at least 8-10 hours had passed since the event, but the moment was still fresh in his mind. The place just over the corner of his mouth still seemed to tingle.

As always, he was the first up in the morning, and in the short period of time between that and Kurogane waking, he thought about Sakura. Granted, he always thought of her, but this morning it was different. He wasn't thinking about Sakura in general, he was thinking about Sakura last night, about how sad and broken she looked. When had she acquired such a look? Such a sad, hopeless, heart breaking look didn't suit her normally cheerful disposition.

Kurogane began to moan and grumble; the first sign that he would be up soon enough, so Syaoran pushed the thought aside for a later moment, not wanting to make Kurogane think he had anything on his mind. The man _always_ knew, somehow…

Soon after Kurogane awoke, Fai was up and cheerful, then finally came Sakura. She had her normal sweet, slightly confused look that she normally did in the morning, but there was just a bit of sadness lingering in her eyes. Syaoran was sure he was the only one to notice it.

Mokona jumped onto Sakura's shoulder.

"Good morning everyone! Mokona has wonderful news!" the creature yelled happily.

"You little rat! Stop yelling so early in the God damned morning!" Kurogane cursed, throwing a pillow at Mokona, who swiftly dodged it by jumping up, causing it to hit Sakura straight in the face. She made a little yelp that sounded faintly like a squeak a mouse might make before falling back onto her bed in surprise.

"Princess!" Syaoran yelled and ran over to her side, "Are you alright!"

Sakura merely laughed a little and looked away from him, "I am fine, Syaoran-kun…"

Syaoran, hurt by her reaction to him, simply nodded and stepped back. Was she mad at him? Had he done something wrong?

"Oooh, Kuro-ryu, you've done it now! Syaoran-kun will have to beat you up!" Fai teased.

"Geh, shut up you stupid wizard! I wasn't aiming for her; it's that stupid meat bun's fault!" Kurogane yelled back, pointing an accusing finger at Mokona, who was now on the floor laughing at them all.

"Um… Mokona… what was the good news you had for us…?" Sakura asked timidly, getting up from her bed again and kneeling down next to the mystical creature.

"Ah, that's right! Mokona has good news! Should Mokona tell everyone now?"

"Just say it so you can be done talking for the day!" Kurogane growled.

"Late last night while everyone was fast asleep I sensed one of Sakura-chan's feathers! And it hasn't moved very far either! Should Mokona lead everyone to it or does Kuro-chan wanna cool off a little?" Mokona had added that last part as a way to piss Kurogane off further, and needless to say, it worked.

"Cool my head! Who says I need to cool my head! Man, let's just go find the feather, beat the shit out of the guy or whoever who has it, and leave already!"

Syaoran nodded, "I agree with Kurogane, we should go. If we're lucky we can move on to another world today." He looked over at Sakura and felt a twinge in his chest to see she was avoiding him. He sighed and went to put his shoes on, "We should leave now…"

He felt Kurogane's gaze dig into his back and chose to ignore it. This wasn't Kurogane's problem, it was his. Even though he knew that the man cared about him and wouldn't think twice about helping him - no matter what he said out loud - Syaoran wouldn't, couldn't let Kurogane fight this battle for him.

"Mokona senses the feather closer and closer every second! We'll be there in no time!" Mokona declared cheerfully, but the atmosphere in their little group was anything but happy. Syaoran didn't know about Fai and Kurogane, but Sakura was anything but fine. She was slowly falling into the back of the group, and looking down at her shoes sadly. What could possibly be wrong? Had he really hurt her that much?

Syaoran took a deep breath and walked over to her - he had made up his mind, he was going to find out what was wrong. He fell back in the group until he was walking beside Sakura, who had chosen not to look at him.

"Princess…" he began.

"Could you…not," she mumbled to her feet.

He blinked at her in mild surprise, "What?"

"Don't… don't call me that…" she looked up at him now, the sadness more eminent than ever.

"Oh…well, okay…" he replied, uncomfortable now. "What do you want me to call you?"

"Sakura… I guess. I just don't like being called Princess…"

Syaoran smiled a little as he remembered all the times she had told, yelled, screamed, and pouted for him to call her Sakura and not Princess. Maybe a little bit of the old Sakura was still present within the girl's heart.

"…Sakura…" he corrected and saw her relax a little. "…Sakura…what's wrong?"

She looked away again. "Nothing, nothing is wrong…"

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to do or how to get her to talk to him. He thought back to the night before and how happy he'd been she'd kissed him. Looking back at her, he found her near to tears.

"…Ano sa… last night, I was happy…"

She looked back at him now, a surprised expression on her face, surprised and hopeful.

"Y…you were…?"

He smiled at her and nodded, "Yeah, really happy, I was really happy you kissed me, if not a bit surprised."

She stared at him a moment, during which Syaoran wasn't sure if he'd said something wrong, before she suddenly stopped walking and collapsed onto the ground in tears.

"Ah!" he cried, startled, running over to and kneeling down next to her.

"I-I'm sorry! Did I say something wrong? I'm so sorry, Sakura!" he cried, hugging her.

She hiccupped and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'm so happy!" she sobbed into his shoulder. "I thought you were mad at me… I'm so, so happy you aren't!"

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Syaoran brought her close, surprised that she thought he was angry at her. "I could never be angry with you, Sakura…"

And suddenly she was kissing him, a very un-Sakura thing to do. "I love you, Syaoran-kun! I've loved you for so long! I'm so sorry I made you worry!"

His hands were trembling now and he was finding it hard to control his emotions. He tightened his grip around her and buried his face into her hair. His tears mingled with her tan locks and soon he couldn't control himself, full out sobbing into her neck.

"Syaoran-kun?" she asked worriedly, "Syaoran-kun, are you okay? Have I done something wrong?"

He shook his head and between gasps muttered the only words he could think of.

"Thank you… thank you so much…"


	13. Jolt!

Jolt!

"Eeek!"

Syaoran blinked when he suddenly found himself lying flat on his back on the ground with Sakura lying on top of him, hugging his torso for dear life.

"Princess, its just thunder, there's no need to be so frightened," Syaoran said, looking at her. "It's far away from us."

"B-but it's so loud!" The girl cried out as Syaoran slowly sat up again, laughing a little at her childishness.

Looking out the window, Syaoran caught a thin bolt of lightning break through the thick, dark clouds and hit a distant tree, splitting it instantly. The moment was but seconds long, but to Syaoran it seemed to last for hours. Thin bolts of bright light coursed around the tree for a short moment after the strike, and Syaoran suddenly wished he could suspend the image for eternity; it was utterly beautiful.

"What was that flash of light?" Sakura asked nervously, looking out the window as well.

"It was just a flash of lightning, Princess, don't be scared," Syaoran replied sweetly, petting her head affectionately.

Sakura sighed and leaned into his chest. "I don't think I like thunderstorms very much…"

Syaoran laughed and kissed the top of her head. "They are a bit loud, aren't they?"


	14. Kiss

Kiss

She's beautiful.

Syaoran thinks this often, and never hesitates to tell her.

He loves her smile. Not her small, shy smiles, he likes to see her teeth, the wide smiles filled with laughter and happiness. When she isn't smiling Syaoran feels as if he's done something wrong; she should always be smiling.

Syaoran loves everything about Sakura. He believes you can't be in true love with someone if you don't love everything about them, or at least accept everything about them without hesitation.

Syaoran loves everything about Sakura, but there are things he loves more than others. He loves her eyes more than her hands because they reveal emotions she only gives to him. Her waist more than her arms; he loves the feel of holding her close. The thing he loves most about her physically, however, is her lips. Her kiss.

He kisses her often when it's just the two of them. He knows she loves it, otherwise she would tell him to stop. He's memorized the reactions her body makes when they kiss and what they mean. He knows every sigh and every moan she produces and why. He loves the way she melts when they kiss, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He loves her soft lips so much it hurts. He can't imagine what it would be like to kiss anyone other than his Sakura. He hopes she feels the same way, but he isn't brave enough yet to ask her.

He loves her, and he knows it. He hopes she knows it too, but isn't brave enough yet to tell her just how strong his emotions run.

He knows he might be happy with her one day. He hopes that day is soon, but is smart enough to not get his hopes up. For now, he'll just enjoy kissing her while he can.


	15. Dash

Dash

She is going. She's slipping away from his grasp, slowly but surely. Syaoran isn't sure how he knows - he isn't even sure he wants to know. Maybe it's every time he looks into her eyes. How far away she seems, like she's sinking, drowning, and she's just, _just, _out of his reach. Like she's running in a thick forest and Syaoran can just, _just, _see the white of her shirt as she tears through the shrubs.

She is going, almost gone. Syaoran knows this, but will he accept it? Will he, after the feathers are gathered and whole again, simply accept that Sakura won't ever remember him? This question even Syaoran himself does not know the answer to.

What he does know, is this: If Sakura is out of his reach, if she is sinking, drowning right out of his reach, he will swim and swim and swim until he can touch her once more. If she's running, breathless, through that thick forest, just out of his sight, he'll run and run and run until he can see the golden locks of hair he loves so. He'll dash to her, the one he is devoted to the most, until he can hold her in his arms.

She is gone, just barely out of his reach. Just barely impossible to touch, hug, kiss, but Syaoran will never give up. He will always run, dash after her fading form, no matter how hopeless it seems. He will never give up on her. He can never give up on himself. He will gather her feathers, he will save her. He will continue loving her as he dashes for her form, just barely visible beneath the shadows of trees. He dashes. He will never stop.


	16. Superstar

Superstar

Every world has its superstar. It's beloved individual that is cherished by everyone. In the Kingdom of Clow, it was their adored princess. Syaoran watched day after countless day as Sakura was adorned with amazing flowers as beautiful as herself, given to her by the citizens of her nation. She would come to Syaoran laughing heartily, showing him all of the presents she had been given.

"Really, I have no idea why they go to the trouble!" she would say, giggling in shy embarrassment.

"It's because they love you," Syaoran would always say earnestly, causing her to blush even further.

Sakura was their superstar. Loved by all, adored by all, there was none who could compare. However, Sakura could never ever figure out why, and Syaoran found that he was constantly laughing quietly to himself about how innocent she really was.

On a day when he decided to go with his father up to the castle, as his father went to speak with the king Syaoran went to seek out Sakura. He found her in her extravagantly decorated room, sitting on her large canopy bed and scanning a stack of papers piled on the sheets.

"What are you looking at, Princess?" Syaoran asked tentatively as he approached the bed.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, looking up in surprise and smiling nervously once she realized who it was.

"Oh! Hi Syaoran!" she said with a small laugh, attempting to stuff the papers somewhere out of sight.

Syaoran blinked at her. Sakura smiled and grabbed his arm, pulling him onto the bed to sit beside her.

"How're you?" she asked loudly, obviously trying to distract him from the mysterious sheets of paper.

"I'm fine. Father is talking to the King and told me to go find you," Syaoran answered politely, though he was still glancing behind her curiously at the papers. "Um...Princess, what was that you were looking at just now?"

"Oh, these? They're just...," she trailed off before finishing quickly, "marriage proposals."

Syaoran stared in obvious horror.

"Marriage…proposals?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yes, I've been getting them pretty often recently. They're actually quite amusing…some of them."

"You are very popular indeed then, Princess…" Syaoran mumbled sadly. Undoubtedly they were all very prominent figures, like princes or sons of very well off families. He was sure that Sakura would end up accepting the hand of one of them in marriage.

Sakura stared at him for a moment before saying rather loudly, "But I don't plan on accepting any of them!" She then paused, taken aback by her own outburst, before blushing and looking away. She glanced briefly back at Syaoran, before blushing even more and looking away again.

Syaoran stared at her for a minute, before smiling softly, touched by her reassurances and feeling a little better already.

Noticing his smile, Sakura gave him one of her own and grabbed his hand, pulling him off of the bed with her.

"Come on, Syaoran, let's go play outside!"

Later, as Syaoran and his father were on their way back home, Fujitaka noticed the large smile his son was still wearing.

"What is it, Syaoran? Did you have a lot of fun today playing with the kingdom's superstar?" he asked, happy to see his usually stoic son showing so much euphoric emotion.

Syaoran paused, thinking for a moment, before his smile returned, this time aimed up at his father.

"Yes, I think I did."


	17. Overflow

Overflow

When Sakura receives another memory, they flood into her mind like a tidal wave of pictures. Sometimes afterwards she gets horrible migraines which she hides unbelievably well from the others. She feels as if her head will burst open, revealing all of the information inside to everyone. But never has it before, and she doubts it ever will, because the memories are proportioned as such to make it _just enough _for her mind to endure.

But sometimes she wonders. What if she receives too many memories at once? Would the pain be so excruciating that she couldn't think? Would she die? Or…would her memories simply overflow from her mind, spilling helplessly onto the dirt road?

She wonders what it's like to have your memories overflow out of you. She wonders how they would go (though she's fairly sure it would be out her ears) and what they would do once they were out. She does not realize that she, somewhere in the deep chaotic depths of her wounded mind, remembers what it's like. What it's like to have your memories – your heart – your _soul _–flow right out of you.

Somewhere deep inside, she remembers that excruciating pain that makes you want to claw your eyes out. So she continues to fool herself, thinking about her returned memories and that odd physical pain, and hides it well as always, kissing her own wounds, recovering on her own – after all, Syaoran-kun and the others do enough for her, how can she ask more of them?

She's a big girl, she's sure she can take care of herself.


	18. News Letter

News; Letter

"I want to write a letter."

Both Fai and Kurogane looked up from their activities they were working on; Fai, reading a book, Kurogane, polishing his new sword.

"Why's that, Sakura-chan?" Fai asked curiously

She shrugged and looked out the window of their room. "I only remember bits and pieces of my brother, but I like to think he worries about me, and want to write him a letter."

"Good luck finding paper," Kurogane grumbled, disinterested with the subject.

"Don't say things like that, Kuro-chan."

"It's Kurogane, damn it!"

Sakura laughed and shook her head. "Don't worry about it, I don't even know what I'd say…"

Fai thought for a moment, book temporarily forgotten. "Well, you could tell him about your journey, and about Syaoran-kun, how many feathers we've recovered--"

"16," Kurogane interjected, having gone back to his sword-polishing.

"You can ask Syaoran to help you look for paper and a pencil if you want," Fai smiled sweetly at the girl as she blushed at the thought.

"How would I get it to my brother, though?"

"That Time Hag could deliver it I suppose," Kurogane replied, leaning his sword against the wall and resting his chin in his hand, appearing to think about the matter as if he actually cared.

"Thanks Fai-san, Kurogane-san…" she mumbled, suddenly embarrassed.

Not five minutes later, Syaoran emerged from the door way with Mokona perched on his shoulder. Mokona had a disappointed look on his face, while Syaoran looked a little more than slightly frustrated.

"No luck, yet again. It's like these feathers are running away from us…" He sat down next to Sakura and sighed. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. We haven't recovered a feather for awhile now…"

Sakura merely smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, they'll show up soon I'm sure of it." She looked down at her hands and began playing with the hem of her shirt, "Um, Syaoran-kun? Do you know where I could find some paper?"

Syaoran blinked at the question. "…Paper?"

"Yup!"

Syaoran thought for a moment. "Well it can't be that hard to find some, I'll go ask Kuzuki-san, downstairs," And with that he got up in search of some paper.

Sakura stared after him a moment longer after he had left the room, slightly confused.

"What's the problem, Sakura-chan?" Fai asked curiously.

"He, he didn't ask what it was for…"

Fai looked at the door from which Syaoran had disappeared and shrugged. "He probably just wants to respect your privacy."

"Oh…"

Syaoran returned moments later with two sheets of paper and a pen in hand.

"Here you are, Sakura-chan," he mumbled, handing her the items.

"Thank you very much, Syaoran-kun," Sakura returned, just as quietly, and sat down to begin her letter to her older brother.

'Dear Touya-nii-sama…'

The next hour was spent in almost complete silence, with Fai reading, Kurogane trying to polish his new sword further, and Syaoran playing some sort of game with Mokona.

Sakura sat up from the floor.

"I'm done!" she announced proudly, waving the three page letter in Fai and Syaoran's direction "I even had to used both sides of one paper!"

"Very impressive, Sakura-chan! I'm sure your brother will appreciate this greatly," Fai cooed, patting her on the head.

Syaoran looked at Sakura a moment at the mention of her brother, but said nothing and continued his game with Mokona.

Sakura handed her now neatly folded letter to Fai. "Do you think it'll reach him, Fai-san?"

"Yuuko-san will figure something out for us," Fai reassured.

Sakura nodded and was about to sit back down when she paused. "Wait, won't she want something in exchange?"

"Let's give her back the rat!" Kurogane growled, glaring at the white rabbit-looking thing.

Mokona turned around and gave Kurogane a questioning look. "Did Mokona hear Mokona's name?"

"No Mokona, you must be hearing things," Fai laughed and handed the letter to Mokona "Can you transfer this to Yuuko-san, Mokona?"

"Mokona sure can!" it took the letter and once again opened the window to Yuuko's world, and they found Yuuko smiling evilly back at them.

"Well look who it is!" she slurred, blush lingering on her cheeks; she was obviously drunk.

"You're looking well, Yuuko-san," Fai greeted kindly, his smile never leaving his lips "Can we ask a favor of you?"

"Depends, what is it?"

He held out the letter to show her. "We need to get this letter to Sakura-chan's older brother. Can you get it to him?"

Yuuko eyed the pieces of paper wearily. "I can, but it'll cost you something big, what do you--" Yuuko stopped mid-sentence, and the evilest smile ever recorded in history crept onto her face. "Kurogane!" she called.

The man looked up, glaring, "What do you want?"

"His sword will be the price," she told Fai, as she pointing to the newly polished sword.

"What! No way in hell, you old hag! This sword is mine!" Kurogane nearly shrieked, grabbing the sword protectively.

Yuuko merely shrugged, "Then I won't take the letter,"

"Yuuko-san, is there anything else we can give you?"

"Nope, I want the sword."

Fai sighed and turned to Kurogane, who was glaring death itself at the wizard.

"Kuro-pi, I'll buy you a new sword, a better one, okay?"

"No!" Kurogane had now moved his new sword behind him, an extra precaution incase someone tried to snatch it from him, "I bought this sword with my own money, to replace the one she _already_ stole, damn it! I'm not giving it away, too!"

Fai sighed again and looked over at Sakura, "Sorry, Sakura-chan, looks like you did all that writing to your brother for nothing…"

Sakura looked sadly down at her hands, "Well, it's okay; it's not fair that we ask Kurogane-san to give up his sword, anyway…"

Syaoran was the first to notice Kurogane begin to give in when he saw him slowly take the sword back out from behind him.

"Well? What'll it be? Do I get the sword or are we wasting my time?"

"It looks like we're wasting your time, Yuuko-san, I'm sorry."

"Hold on," Syaoran walked over to Kurogane, "We'll all pitch in and buy you a new sword, and Yuuko-san wont take it, right Yuuko-san?" He glared in the Time Witch's direction. She merely put her hands up and smiled.

"Sure, whatever, I just want that sword there."

Kurogane glared at Syaoran for a long minute before shoving the sword into his arms, "I hate you all."

Syaoran gave the sword to Mokona, who transferred it along with the letter over to Yuuko, who bid them farewell with one last evil smile before leaving. The rest of the night was spent trying to pull Kurogane out of his now extremely bad mood. They all went to bed unusually early because of this, but Syaoran found he was the only person not able to fall asleep right away.

He was staring at the ceiling, after everyone had presumably already fallen asleep when he heard someone shift to his right, and suddenly Sakura was sitting next to him.

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun," was all she said, and bent down and planted a small kiss on his cheek.

By the time he could even begin to think about what had just happened Sakura was already back in her bedroll, fast asleep. Syaoran stared at her for a moment, and a small smile found its way onto his lips. He turned over and went to sleep, feeling suddenly very calm, and even a little happy in his heart, a feeling he hadn't felt since Sakura woke up. He sincerely hoped he would feel this happy again in the near future.


	19. In a Good Mood

In A Good Mood

"You've been smiling quite a lot today, Sakura-chan!" Fai commented as he began to bake more sweets for their café in Oto. He rolled the dough for the new batch of yummy cookies out and cut them into little cat head shaped figures and popped them in the oven.

Sakura watched in mild entertainment until Fai's question finally reached her wandering mind.

"Hmm? I have? Oh, I must just be in a good mood." She laughed a bit and smiled widely at Fai.

"Well, that's certainly good! What brought on this good mood?" Fai smirked his usual smirk and walked across the kitchen to start up a few pots of coffee.

Putting her head down on the counter, Sakura closed her eyes and thought for a moment.

"I guess about the new memory we found..."

"Hmm? Did you remember anything that stood out from the rest of the memories?" Fai asked, leaning into the counter towards Sakura, listening intently.

She thought again about the question. Closing her eyes, she searched through the memories she had regained in the short time they had all been together.

"There's…this one memory…" she began, not bothering to open her eyes. "My father, King Clow, is taking me to meet somebody. There's only one person there, but it…it feels like there should be somebody else…he should be standing there, right next to the man in the picture…" Her eyes began to water a bit at the memory, so she finally opened her eyes and smiled at Fai, whose smirk had faded from his face.

"…No one's there, but I'm so intrigued and curious about someone… Sometimes, when I'm really lonely, I like to imagine that my father is introducing me to Syaoran." She giggled slightly and wiped away the tears in her eyes, never noticing Fai's lips tighten ever so slightly at the mention of her fantasy.

He reached over and patted Sakura's hands, smiling once again. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan, we'll recover all of your memories, even if it means jumping into a crater of boiling lava!"

They both laughed at this, and Sakura, feeling a little better, leaned over and planted a little kiss on Fai's cheek. "Thanks, Fai-san…"

Fai pulled away from the counter and went back to making sweets for the café.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, Syaoran-kun and Kuro-tan should be back soon from sword training, why don't you go make something warm for them to drink, okay?"

Sakura brightened a bit at the mention of Syaoran returning soon and jumped up.

"Okay!"

Fai smiled as he watched Sakura rush behind the counter to begin making what he assumed was hot chocolate.

Sakura poured water into the kettle and set it onto the stove. She climbed onto the counter and pulled out the container of hot chocolate mix, all the while thinking of nothing but Syaoran.


	20. Invincible unrivaled

A/N: As a responce to "Devon", the last person to review this story. Just because Sakura doesn't remember Syaoran doesn't mean she can't love him at all, period. Have you not read volumes 5 and 6 yet? If you have then you either a) didn't pay attention to it _at all _or b) have trouble adding two and two together. Either way youre review was uncalled for and rude and was actually a bit insulting. I don't mind it when people don't like my stories, I don't even really care, but if you feel a need to tell me that it's crap, or "mediocre" in this case, keep in mind there is such a thing as **constructive critisism** in which you politely tell me what I might want to work on to make the story better.

Anyway you're review doesnt bother me anymore, seeing as more than enough people who are better writers than me have told me you're full of it and my stories aren't mediocre, so just keep it to yourself.

Invincible; unrivaled

There was never a single instant where Sakura was left alone. Syaoran simply wouldn't stand for it. If he wasn't there, Fai or Kurogane _had _to be there with her, or someone else they had met in that current world.

When it came to Sakura, Syaoran was invincible. If she were in danger, he would find himself ten times stronger than he ever had before. He could kiss the sky by merely running and jumping if it meant protecting Sakura from danger. He was unrivaled by any human enemy, and even the demons had a hard time with him once he had a weapon. He had to be. Sakura's survival depended on him. Sakura's survival depended on his survival.

If Syaoran died, the others would have no reason to continue their search for Sakura's feathers, and would therefore stop. He knew deep down his new found friends would never do such a thing, but still, he had to be careful.

He could count on one hand the instances he'd let Sakura become injured, or captured, or the times she'd nearly died, and still, those few times were a few too many for him. It was his fault, always his fault if something happened to Sakura. He trained and trained until his vision blurred, and then and only then would he stop to sleep.

In many ways, he lived only for Sakura. He wasn't quite sure what he'd do once this journey was over. Maybe he'd just disappear with the mist, start a journey of his own, find himself. But for the time being, Sakura needed him, and until she regained all her memories and ultimately returned to her kingdom, he would be by her side, forever. Her invincible, unrivaled soldier.


	21. Say ahh

A/N: I want to thank everyone who reviews this story. I really enjoy knowing what people think of my story (and if they dont like it, I kindly ask them to tell me what I can do to make it better) and now thatI've reached the 100 review mark, I'm extactic beyond all intelligable words! foams at the mouth So thank you very much! Please enjoy this very adorable update! (Only nine more chapters to go after this! is sad and glad at the same time)

**Say ahh**

"Say ahh, Kuro-tan!" Fai purred, holding a bowl of steaming oatmeal in one hand and a spoon in another. The wizard was leaning nearly an inch away from poor Kurogane's face as he was lying in bed.

"God damn it, I said I don't want any!" the ninja screamed, trying to avoid the vile spoon full of healthy goodness.

"Come now, Kuro-pi, how do you ever expect to get better if you refuse to eat?" Fai asked, leaning closer.

"Maybe you should force feed him!" Mokona piped in, smiling broadly at the two.

Sakura laughed as she saw Kurogane's eyes grow two times their size. Fai took this opportunity to stuff the spoon full of food into the bedridden warrior's mouth. The expressions of utter disgust, hate, and surprise passed across his face in a parade before he unwillingly swallowed and glowered at the wizard, who was by now laughing his butt off.

The door to the room swung open to reveal Syaoran holding a bag of groceries (requested by Fai as to help Kurogane get well). He set them on a table in the room and went to sit next to Sakura, who was keeping her distance by the wall to the right of the bed.

"Is he still throwing a fit?" Syaoran asked, pulling a chair up.

Giggling, Sakura nodded. "But I think it's more because of the way Fai-san is going about it. I think Kurogane-san would prefer to eat without any help."

"Probably," Syaoran replied, watching the banter go on between Fai and Kurogane with a smile.

He looked back over at Sakura, who was laughing as Fai stuffed yet another spoon of food into Kurogane's mouth.

"How are _you _feeling, Princess?" he asked quietly, looking at her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Hmm?" she replied, blinking. "Oh, I'm feeling fine, very well actually, and I'm even getting less tired throughout the day!" She beamed and leaned in closer to Syaoran, smiling happily.

Syaoran smiled, trying not to blush at how close she was to him. "That's great; maybe it means you'll be healthier for longer periods of time, too…"

Sakura looked at him for a long while, and at some point he was worried that he'd said something wrong. Before Syaoran could even register what had happened, however, Sakura had leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. She pulled back again and smiled at his now beet red face.

"Thanks, Syaoran-kun…" she mumbled, before looking back over at what had now turned into a wrestling match.

"W-what for…?" he stuttered, looking down at his hands.

"For…for being such a good friend I guess," she mumbled back.

Syaoran smiled and took her hand. She looked back at him, an almost confused expression across her face.

"You're welcome, Princess, you are very welcome…"


	22. Muse's Valentine's Contest Extra

Tsubasa Valentine's Day Contest Fan fiction!

Sakura stared blankly at the treats that had just been transported from Yuuko-san's world to Syaoran-tachi's current location.

"…Valentine's day gift?" She blinked and shot Fai a look that seeped confusion from every pore on her face.

"That's right, Sakura-chan!" Fai sang and pranced over to Sakura's seat on the couch, "Why, even in my world we have Valentines day! Doesn't your world have something like it?"

Thinking carefully, Sakura gazed into the carpet between her feet. "…Well, Fai-san, seeing as I don't know what Valentine's Day is, I couldn't really tell you." She smiled that terribly innocent smile she was so very good at conjuring up, and laughed thoughtlessly.

Fai laughed as well and rested his chin in his hand. "Well, to put it simply, Valentine's day is the day you give the person you like more than anything in the world, something special, so they know how you feel."

Awe entered the look in Sakura's face and she jumped up, causing Fai's grin to spread even further.

"You mean to say, it's a chance to tell your special person your feelings?" The excitement was just too much for Sakura to bear.

"Exactly!" Fai laughed and got up as well. "Are you going to make something for Syaoran-kun?"

Sakura, blushing as red as a cherry, looked down in embarrassment and nodded meekly. Fai patted her on the head in an older-brotherly way. "I'm sure he'll love anything you make him."

Sakura smiled happily up at Fai and rushed into the kitchen of their café to get her rear in gear. Her gift just _had _to be ready by the time Syaoran and Kurogane got back from running errands for Fai.

---

"Ah…! Kurogane-san! There are still more things on the list Fai-san gave us…" Syaoran mumbled to Kurogane's retreating form, waving the list hopelessly towards him.

"Why should I care? He can't just start ordering me around anyway! That punk! And on top of it all he keeps coming up with such ridiculous nicknames, it drives me crazy--"

Syaoran sighed and followed Kurogane back to the café, carrying the bag of groceries and goods that Fai has requested.

His thoughts soon drifted back to the unexpected and in no way purely intended gift from Yuuko-san. He had been so busy collecting Sakura's memories that he hadn't even realized February 14 was around the corner. His thoughts drifted even farther back to the last Valentine's Day he could remember…

---

_A loud knocking sounded all through Syaoran's small home. Scooting his chair back, he got up from his desk and walked quickly to the door, not wanting to keep his visitor waiting._

"_Hel—ACK!"_

_A body collided into his chest, and soon both were lying on the floor, one on top of the other._

"_Happy Valentine's Day, Syaoran!" Sakura chirped, happily straddling the taller boy. Slung on her shoulder was a small, mysterious bag Syaoran had never seen before – not that he was really caring that Sakura had a bag with her, he was too busy trying to breathe._

"_P-Princess, I can't breathe…"_

"_Ack! I'm sorry Syaoran!" Sakura hopped off of the boy and helped him up, "I didn't realize! Are you alright!"_

_Laughing and regaining one's breath is an unusually difficult thing to do at once, and something Syaoran hadn't yet mastered._

"_I'm fine… Princess, hehe…" after a few seconds, however, Syaoran was perfectly fine. "What're you doing here, Princess? Does the King know you're here?"_

_Poofing out her lower lip, Sakura mock-glared at her favorite architect. "Do you not know what day it is!"_

_Syaoran blinked. "…what day is it?"_

"_VALENTINE'S DAY!" Sakura grabbed Syaoran's hand and dragged him over to the one chair that resided in his home and pushed him down. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a neatly wrapped, pink box topped off with a sparkling pink bow. It screamed "SAKURA!" in every way and angle one could look at it. Syaoran, still in shock from being dragged and pushed into a chair, stared blankly at the box before something clicked in his brain that told him the box was indeed a present from Sakura for him. Hesitantly, he grabbed the box, no longer worrying if the King knew where the Princess was, and carefully opened the box. _

_Inside it sat a small cup-cake with the words "Happy Valentine's Day!" written along the frosting. He picked it up and turned it around to examine it. The lettering was red, and the frosting was pink. Sakura had even managed to dye the dough pink too. _

_Syaoran, to say the very least, was touched. _

_He looked back up at Sakura to see her gazing down at him with a mix of fear, excitement, hope, and anxiety as to what he thought of the small token of her affection. _

"_Princess… did you make this just for me?"_

"_Uh huh! I didn't make anyone else a cup-cake like this one! Do you… do you like it?" Her brow furrowed in worry._

_Syaoran, finding this adorable in everyway possible, smiled lovingly at her, and nodded._

---

Kurogane and Syaoran arrived back at the café a good 2-3 hours later. Kurogane, not wanting to return so soon after all, begrudgingly decided to finish looking for the rest of the items on the grocery list. They had been unusually difficult to find, and had left Kurogane in a bad mood. Not that this was uncommon.

They both walked into the café around 11:30 at night.

"Why'd you have to pick such hard crap to find?" Kurogane demanded while Syaoran set the bags down.

Fai smiled sweetly and pranced over to the larger man. "Because, Kuro-chin! You're so fun to annoy!"

"Syaoran!" Mokona chirped as it perched itself happily on top of Syaoran's head, ignoring Kurogane's yelling and complaining, "Guess what!"

"What?" Syaoran asked, resisting a yawn.

"Sakura made something for you!"

Syaoran froze. Sakura made something… for him? He turned immediately and found a terribly red Sakura covered in flower and frosting.

"She slaved over a hot stove and almost burned the building down just for you!" Mokona laughed, obviously exaggerating the events.

Sakura's complexion darkened even further at Mokona's comment.

"I… I hope you like it…" Was all she said before turning around.

Syaoran was too busy wondering what she'd made him and why to think of anything intelligent to say. Sure Sakura could've had feelings for him in their world but… she'd lost her memory, there was no way she could still have those feelings…

Sakura turned around again and walked over to the counter Syaoran and Mokona were hovering at and set in front of them a large, pink cake. The word's "Happy Valentine's Day!" rested atop the bright pink frosting in bold, awkwardly written red letters, and Syaoran had a hunch that the dough was pink as well.

"Happy Valentine's Day…" Sakura mumbled to her feet. Her hands were clenched worriedly in front of her chest, and she was still blushing terribly. "Do you… do you like it?"

Syaoran was speechless. Did he like it? He loved it! Before Syaoran had even realized he had gotten up, he'd pulled Sakura into a hug. He could tell she was startled by the gesture of thanks, but at that moment all he wanted was Sakura close to him. After a moment, Sakura encircled her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. Syaoran pulled away, smiled lovingly at Sakura, and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"I love it, Princess. Thank you."


End file.
